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SDGs

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa proved that diseases do not recognize borders.

In today’s interconnected world, an epidemic threat in one country can spread quickly to others. In our struggle to recover from both the Ebola and Zika viruses, the importance of both health security and crosscutting measures to address epidemics is more evident than ever.

Over the past two years, the world has adopted two critical frameworks to improve global health - the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). A recent article I co-authored for the upcoming issue of the Journal of Public Health Policy (1) highlights the need to identify areas of convergence between the SDGs and the GHSA.

Implementing interventions to achieve both the SDGs and the GHSA will ensure that global health programs are cost-effective and collaborative, and will make us more resilient and prepared for epidemics. Aligning the implementation of the SDGs and the GHSA will also allow countries to address problems that amplify epidemics, like weak health systems, widespread poverty, and environmental destruction.

Three weeks ago, nearly 3,500 family planning researchers, program managers, and policymakers came together in Nusa Dua, Indonesia to discuss the latest research findings and best practices on family planning at the 4th International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP). It was the largest gathering of family planning enthusiasts to date.

More mothers and children under five are surviving, but progress is "uneven across regions and countries, leaving significant gaps", the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon confirmed today, July 6, launching the final Millennium Development Goals Report (2015). Child under-five mortality has been cut in half since 1990 (reduced from 90 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births) and maternal mortality has been reduced 45 percent -- with much of the reduction occuring since 2000.

Targeted investments in fighting diseases, such as HIV/AIDs and malaria, have brought unprecedented results. Over 6.2 million malaria deaths were averted between 2000 and 2015, while tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment interventions saved an estimated 37 million lives between 2000 and 2013.

Worldwide, 2.1 billion have gained access to improved sanitation and the proportion of people practicing open defecation has fallen almost by half since 1990.

MSH & The Tao of Leadership

Partnership and Empowerment: We take our inspiration from the 3,500 year old Tao (Way) of Leadership, working shoulder to shoulder with our local colleagues and partners toward their empowerment and success.